Russia Plans to Block Same-Sex Partnership Benefits to UN Employees

Last year, the United Nations’ Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, issued a ruling that would have offered marital benefits for the first time in the organization’s history to gay and lesbian employees in domestic partnerships.

Unfortunately, Russia has said no. At a budget meeting, diplomat Sergey Khalizov from Russia said that the policy must be reversed. According to Foreign Policy, Russia said that “[the] U.N. chief’s action violated a U.N. General Assembly resolution that left it to U.N. employees’ governments to determine whether they are eligible for spousal benefits. Moscow has been weighing whether to force a vote in the budget committee, known as the Fifth Committee, to halt funding such benefits, a vote that it likely could win. Unlike the U.N. Security Council, the United States and other big powers don’t have the power to veto votes in the Fifth Committee. While its decisions are generally made by consensus, states can call for a vote.”